In Search Engine Optimization, There Are No Guarantees
Ian Lurie Jul 1 2008
“Do you guarantee a top ranking?”
I hear this a lot.
The answer is “If I did, I’d be lying to you.”
Google today published revised guidelines for hiring a search engine optimization firm.
I think the single most valuable quote is:
“No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google.
Beware of SEOs that claim to guarantee rankings, allege a ‘special relationship’ with Google, or advertise a ‘priority submit’ to Google. There is no priority submit for Google. In fact, the only way to submit a site to Google directly is through our Add URL page or by submitting a Sitemap and you can do this yourself at no cost whatsoever.”
We can’t guarantee you a ranking. A good SEO consultant can guarantee ethical practices, effort, experience and the ability to build measurable traffic over time.
Keep that in mind as you search for your next SEO firm…
[ Read about Portent’s search engine optimization services here ]

Ian Lurie
CEO
Ian Lurie is CEO and founder of Portent Inc. He's recorded training for Lynda.com, writes regularly for the Portent Blog and has been published on AllThingsD, Forbes.com and TechCrunch. Ian speaks at conferences around the world, including SearchLove, MozCon, SIC and ad:Tech. Follow him on Twitter at portentint. He also just published a book about strategy for services businesses: One Trick Ponies Get Shot, available on Kindle. Read More